Pneumatic life-saving suit.



PATENTED NOV. 20, 1906;

E. MORRELL. PNEUMATIC LIFE SAVING SUIT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1904- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20, 1906.

Application tiled June 14, 1904. Serial No. 212,677.

To all whom/ it may concern.- Be it known that I, EDWARD MoRBnLL,citizen of the United States, residing at San Quentin, in the county ofMarin and State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pneumatic Liie- Saving Suits, of which the following isa specification. My invention relates to an improved pneumaticlife-saving suit, the object of my invention being to provide apneumatic suit adapted for saving life at sea.

My invention therefore resides in the novel construction, combination,and arrangement of parts for the above ends, hereinafter fully secified, and c aims. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of thedevice. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlargedvertical section of-the upper portion of the pants part of the device,showing their mode of union. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional viewof the pump or bellows for supplying air to the pneumatic compart- Fig.5 is a similar view of thecheck- Fig. 6

ments. valve for one of said compartments.

' is a detail erspective view of the breathing tube or bu b.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the upper or shirt part of thedevice, and 2 the lower or pants part. Bothoithese are made of the bestquality of indie-rubber. They are connected for use in the followingmanner: A metallic shirt-waist band 3 is riveted to a metallic innerwaistband 4, clamping therebetween the lower edge of the shirt part 1 ofthe device and of the lower lining or casing 5 of the pneumaticcompartments of the shirt-waist portion. This upper shirt-waist band iscircular and has a flange 6. 7 represents the lower or pants waistband,also made of metal, between which and the inner lower waistband 8 areclamped by rivets 9 the upper edges of the lower or pants portion 2 ofthe suit and the inner liningor sides 10 of the pneumatic compartmentsof the lower portion. This lower waistband 7 is threaded,

as shown, and between the up er edge of said lower waistband and theange '6 is a rubber washer 11. Around said threaded portion is acoupling-band 12, having handles particularly pointed out in the 13, bywhich it can be turned, and having a shoulder 14, which bears down uponthe flange 6, so that by turning the cou lingband on'the threadedportion of the lower waistband said washer is clamped firmly between theupper and lower waistbands and the suit is made thoroughly tight. Themethod of connecting the two portions of the suit ma y, hovve ver, bevaried without departing from the spirit olf my invention.

'16 is the helmet or head-piece of the suit, made of heavy rubber, aboutone-eighth of an inch thick or more, to secure protection from the forceof the waves, wreckage, &c. It is fitted with two eyeglasses of suitablesize. tached to the suit, by a small chain 17, a bell-shaped air-bulb18, about three inches in maximum diameter and three and onehalf inchesin maximum length. This bulb has a perforated back 19, to which isconinches long, which when the bulb is in use fits into a metalscrew-plate 21. This airbulb serves as a mouthpiece to the helmet whenthe wearer is floating in a heavy sea;

by the chain during a calm and when to veying food and water to themouth. "17....

is adapted to cover that portion of the face around the screweplate inorder to deflect the water oil when it splashes over upon it. Theair-perforations .are located on the inner side about one and one-halfinches preferably. The shank of the breathing-tube 20 is adapted toenter the screw-plate at the mouth and is nipple-shaped to' be insertedbetween the lips. Should water enter, it would be ejected by simplyblowing it out;

Each part of the suit is divided into separate and independentair-compartments, so that in the event of any puncture of any section ofthe suit the buoyancy of the suit will not be entirely destroyed. Thesecompart ments are shown at 21. ihe compartments are all connectedseparately with tubes 22, which may be either of metal or. of rubber.Each tube opens at its supply end into a bellows orpump 23, (shown indetail in Fig. 4,) consisting of a bell-shaped piece of rubber at- Tofacilitate breathing, there is at but it maybe unscrewed and left todangle of the bulb and extend up from the base} nected a stiff rubbertube 20, about three base or perforated portion of the air-bulb 18 vcheck-valve is unseated by the spring, ad-

mitting air to the bellows.-

The pipe is connected by short pieces 27 with the inner linings or wallsof the comp artments, the end of which piece having therein aspring-actuated check-valve 28, which permits air to enter from thepipe, but prevents passage of air from the compartment into the pipe. Itwill readily be seen that by moving the arms in and out air can bepumped from the outside into the compartments to keep them well filled,so as to give buoyancy to the structure. Each compartment being separately attached to the pipe, the puncture of one compartment will notaffect the rest.

Theupper inner waistband 4 has an annular tongue 30, which when theparts of the suit are put together enters an annular groove 31, formedby the lower inner waistband, thus guiding the parts into position. Thetubes which supply the compartments are also in'two sections, onesection 32 belonging to theupper or shirt part of the suit and the othersection 22 to the lower or pants part of the suit. The upper sectionshave pointed ends 34, (shown in dottedlines in Fig.

3,) which fit within the funnel-shaped ends 35 of the lower portions,thereby making a tight fit when the parts are brought together.

36 represents ahorn, which may be blown to attract attention, and 37'represents a knife for defence or other purposes 38 39 represent pouchesto contain foodtablets or medicines.

40 is a rope secured upon the handle of the device.

The'lowest compartments of all are adaptferred form of myinvention, itis to be under stood that the invention is not lii'nited to'the precisedetails herein shown, but may be variously changedin' form and structurewith out dep arting'from the spirit thereof. I claim g 1. In a pneumaticlife-saving suit divided into two separate garments adapted to befastened together, pumps or bellows located beneath the arms in positionto be operated by the raising and lowering motion of the wearer's armsthe pumps or bellows connected with the two separate garments of thesuit.

2. A pneumatic life-saving suit divided into two separate garmentsadapted to be fastened together, pumps or bellows located beneath thearms in position to be operated by the latter and tubes leading from thepumps or bellows to the two garments.

' 3. A pneumatic life-saving suit composed of two garments adapted to bejoined together air-tight, said garments comprising arms and legs, pumpsor bellows located beneath the arms in position to be operated by thewearers arms as they are raised and lowered and tubes extending from thepumps or bellows to the arms and legs of the garments.

4. A pneumatic life-saving suit divided into separate, independentair-compartments, so that in the event of any puncture of anycompartments of the suit, the efficiency of the remainder of the suitwill remain unimpaired, pumps or bellows located beneath the arms inposition to be operated. by the wearers arms as they are raised andlowered,'tubes extending from the pumps or bellows to the variouscompartments and check-valves which permit air to enter the compartmentsand prevent its return into the tubes.

5. An improved life-saving suit comprising two parts having pneumaticcompart ments, means for clamping the parts together, means for fillingthe pneumatic compartments with air, said means comprising an air-pumplocated beneath the arms in position to be operated by the wearers armsas they are raised and lowered, a tube leading from said airump to saidcompartments and a check-Va ve for each compartment.

6. An improved life-saving suit having compartments, means for securingthe same around the body, an air-pump located beneath the arms inposition to be operated by the latter as they are raised and iowered, a

tube leading from said airump to the compartments and a check-Va ye foreach compartment.

7. An improved life-saving suit comprising two partshavingpneumaticcompart- ICO ments, means for filli'ng'the pneumatic compartments with air, said means comprising air-pumps located under thearms in position to be operated by the wearers arms as they are raisedand lowered, and connections between said pumps and the compartments.-

8. The combination with a helmet of a life-saving suit, having ascrew-plate therein,"

erforated base and a nipple-tube ada ted to I In Witness whereof I havehereunto setmy e removabl inserted in the screw-p ate. hand in thepresence of two subscribing wit- 9. In a 1i e-saving suit, thecombination l nesses. with 'a helmet having a screw-plate, of an airyEDWARD \[O R R- E l b. 5 bulb having a perforated back and provided iWitnesses:

with a tube adapted to fit and be removably A. K. MAGUIRE, secured inthe metal screw-plate. THOS. W. Monms.

